When Your Scalp Says No To a Product.

But before we get into that, how long do you stay with your braided hair? I ask this because I am the biggest culprit of not keeping my braided hair for more than 2 weeks (and this is pushing it), regardless of the style. Whether its lines, braid strands, crochet, I am unable. Yet my baby sister can keep hers for months on. I really do admire her tenacity and ability to take care of her braided hair #goals. I always feel like I’ve wasted the money I spent on braiding my hair. I mean I could have done something more sustainable with it. Though while the hair lasts at least I look good in it and it saves me time, that’s the upside.

This time round, I had a hair situation! Besides me having the usual, “I think my hair looks undone or I am tired with this style” scenario, my scalp was screaming for help. And it seemed like an extended problem because even before I did the braids, I could tell something was not right. My hair was so dry and my scalp so flaky and itchy. It was so itchy that I couldn’t take it anymore, in as much as I wanted another chance to prove to myself that I can keep the braided lines a little longer than a week.

So at first I thought it was the braiding, but then upon further investigation (I’m feeling like C.I.A right about now), I realized it could be the new oils that I have been trying out. I am a self-confessed product junkie. When I walk into a beauty store like Super Cosmetic chances are that I will leave the shop with not only what I had planned to purchase, but also with another product that I have never tried before. And especially if it is a natural hair product adorned with the statement ‘Hair Growth Stimulator’. I know this is the bit where you throw in that eye roll, but don’t we all want our hair to grow? Now I’m not too sure which one of the two doesn’t work with my scalp because I was using them interchangeably, but for now, I’ll just put both of them aside.

I had tried to wash it before to get rid of the oils, but it seems washing your hair with braids on doesn’t help especially in between the lines. And it was a disaster because the discomfort was even more. So I took a pair of scissors, chopped off the braids, undid them and doused my hair with coconut oil first, to just let it feel and know that I wasn’t denying it of its nutrients. I know I sound a bit extra, but the relief of just undoing the braids was good enough.

After that, I decided to go back to the basics. The basics being a wash, condition, oil (with one natural oil) and go! I washed it with my usual Shea By Asal bar soap, which works absolutely well for me. Way better than shampoo, because it doesn’t leave your hair feeling like steel wool. Then conditioned it with a TRESemme conditioner (the one with green text ‘natural’) this one just leaves my hair feeling so soft and manageable. I then dried it with a t-shirt (not a towel, because it’s more gentle) then smothered it some more with coconut oil.

Since then (yesterday) I have decided that I will now give my hair a much needed short break from the different oil products and from braiding, by day I will rock the good ol’ afro and by night, I will do twisted knots aka matuta’s to contain it and have it a little stretched.

How has your hair journey been so far? Have you experienced any dramatic episodes with the products that you’re currently using? What are you doing about it? Do share. And here’s a short video I made for you to see me in my ‘natural’ element 🙂